Solar energy could be a boon for island nations and their tourism sectors

IRENA to hold conference highlighting the potential of solar power and its use in tourism

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is planning to hold a conference in Cyprus this year. The conference will focus on the potential to use solar energy to promote island tourism. The idea is somewhat simple: Island countries are beginning to turn to solar energy to help reduce the energy burden of their tourism industries. Solar power is beginning to attract attention as a viable energy source for hotels, resorts, a numerous other establishments devoted to tourism.

Renewable energy is becoming attractive to island nations

Island nations are showing a great deal of favor for renewable energy for economic reasons. These countries must purchase the fossil-fuels they use from nations that produce these fuels. This involves transporting these fuels overseas and this process involved many costly factors, including insurance coverage, operational costs for the vessels transporting fuels, and the actual purchase of the fuels themselves. Solar power represents a solution to this problem. While photovoltaic technology may be expensive, a source of renewable and clean energy is more financially valuable than fossil-fuels in the long run.

Hotels and resorts could become less of an energy burden through the use of solar power

Island nations typically base much of their economic prosperity on the tourism industry. These nations tend to be very appealing to tourists because of their exotic nature and the fact that they have not been heavily industrialized. The issue is that resorts and hotels are notoriously energy hungry. The more energy the tourism industry uses, the more money an island nation has to spend on fossil-fuels. By allowing hotels and resorts to derive their energy from solar power systems, island nations could mitigate their energy costs by a significant margin.

Conference aims to showcase energy solutions for island nations

The IRENA conference aims to examine the economic prospects of having the tourism industry powered by solar energy. Energy experts and officials from several island nations are expected to attend the conference in order to share ideas and form a better understanding of the issue. IRENA aims to showcase the wide range of energy options that island nations have regarding their tourism industries, highlighting some solutions that go beyond solar energy.